Hosea 6 · The Lantern

The Unrepentance of Israel and Judah

Come, and let us return to the LORD, for he has torn and he will heal us; he has struck and he will bind us up.

The Holy Spirit set this forth of old, when he said in the Psalms, "O my king and my God. For to you will I pray; O Lord, in the morning you shall hear my voice.

"In their affliction they will rise early to me: come and let us return to the Lord, for he has taken us, and he will heal us; he will wound us and he will cure us; he will bring us to life after two days, and on the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight: we shall know and we shall follow, that we may know the Lord." LXX: "In their affliction they will ri…

In the beginning he seized Adam's human nature; for he at once declared it accursed, ascribing it to death and corruption. Thus the wrath has struck, but grace plugged the wound with lint. For Christ has brought the healing. He invited [us] to know the true divine revelation; he confirmed [us] through the Spirit to observe the commandments.

He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before him.

For hear what the prophet says: "God will raise us up after two days, and on the third day we shall rise again and shall live in his sight." The first day for us is the passion of the Savior, and the second, on which he descended into hell, but the third is the day of the resurrection.

Further on, Hosea foretold the resurrection of Christ on the third day, but in the mysterious way that is proper to prophecy. He says, "He shall heal us after two days, and on the third day we shall rise again." This is the idea underlying the words of Paul [when he says], "Therefore if you have risen in Christ, seek the things that are above."

This is Hosea, the first of the twelve prophets who was privileged to speak concerning the Lord Christ in these terms: When they are afflicted, let them rise early to seek me saying, Come and let us return unto the Lord our God, for he hath smitten us and he will heal us; he that hath struck us will bind us up. After two days will he heal us.

And let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. Like the dawn his going out is sure, and he will come to us like the rain, like the latter rain that waters the earth.

Nor is this the only thing that proves the dignity of the water. But there is also that which is more honorable than all—the fact that Christ, the maker of all, came down as the rain, and was known as a spring, and diffused himself as a river, and was baptized in the Jordan. For you have just heard how Jesus came to John and was baptized by him in the Jordan.

His going forth is prepared as the morning light, and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." LXX: "We shall find him ready as the morning, and he shall come to us as the early and the latter rain to the earth." Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

For I suppose that he waters in two ways upon us who received faith and have known rightly his manifestation. On the one hand, he reveals knowledge in the spirit of the old and legal, and in addition to these, prophetic teachings. In my view, this is the early rain.

What shall I do with you, Ephraim? What shall I do with you, Judah? For your loyal love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew that goes early away.

Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have killed them by the words of my mouth — and your judgments go out as light.

For I delighted in loyal love and not sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

Great is the principle of mercy to God. Not only his to us, but also that issuing from us to our fellow servants. In the Old Testament and the New, God lays down innumerable laws pertaining to this matter. He orders us to be benevolent continually in all quarters, through words, money and deeds.

Counsel disposes to mercy: for there is nothing God counsels more in Scripture than to show mercy, which he esteems above all holocausts.

But they, like Adam, have crossed the covenant; there they dealt treacherously with me.

Gilead is a city of workers of iniquity, tracked with blood.

And like raiders lying in wait for a man is the company of priests; they murder on the way to Shechem — for they have done depravity.

In the house of Israel I have seen a shocking thing: there is the whoring of Ephraim; Israel is defiled.

Also Judah — a harvest is set for you, when I restore the fortunes of my people.

Hosea6

The Unrepentance of Israel and Judah